The challenge

Huge maintenance costs

Australian water utilities currently spend $1.4 billion per year on reactive repairs and maintenance. Focusing the asset maintenance efforts on preventative repairs has the potential to save the water industry $700 million on reactive repairs and maintenance.

Our response

Using intelligent predictions to reduce costs

Dr Fang Chen has developed a failure prediction tool which helps to prioritise the selection of pipes to assess for maintenance.

Dr Fang Chen has developed a failure prediction tool which helps to prioritise the selection of pipes to assess for maintenance.

Condition assessment of water pipes is an expensive and disruptive process with water utilities typically inspecting just one per cent of its network assets every year. Using data-driven techniques to make intelligent predictions about failures which is helps to prioritise the selections for condition assessment, reduces costs and minimises disruption to water supplies and the community.

We've developed an advanced failure prediction tool which we expect to double the precision within the one per cent of the network that is inspected.

The results

Plugging the gap for industry

Working with water utilities and research organisations worldwide, including Sydney Water and United Kingdom Water Industry Research (UKWIR), we've completed data analysis for: